Updated Discrimination and Pregnancy Poster for Illinois in 2019

In addition to the standard poster that satisfies Illinois labor laws, there are a few other employer postings that employers in Illinois, whether in Chicago, Peoria, or Downstate, need to know about. Released in October of 2018, the Illinois department of Human Rights has released a notice to inform employees of their rights under the Illinois Human Rights Act. It is a civil rights violation under Article 2-102(k) of the Act for an employer to fail to include in a posting on the premises information concerning the rights of employees.
All workers have the right to employment free from unlawful discrimination or sexual harassment, file a charge of discrimination or sexual harassment, and obtain reasonable accommodation. IDHR can investigate charges of employment discrimination filed against employers, public contractors, or labor organizations and unions.
Parallel to this but not precisely the same are Illinois’ employees’ rights surrounding pregnancy in the workplace. A similar employer pregnancy posting is available outlining the various protections that employees have. The rights cover
• Pregnancy
• Recovery from Childbirth
• Common conditions related to pregnancy.
Reasonable accommodations can mean anything from asking employers for more frequent bathroom breaks to assistance with heavy work. An employer may not discriminate against employees for their pregnancy nor retaliate against them for seeking reasonable accommodation under the law. Likewise, it is illegal for employers to fire, refuse to hire, or refuse reasonable accommodation due to pregnancy.

Employers should make all of this information available in a posting and in their employees handbooks.